Self-assembled InAs quantum wires on InP(001)

Self-assembled InAs quantum wires (QWRs) embedded in In0.52Al0.48As In0.53Ga0.47As, and (In0.52Al0.48As)(2)/(In(0.53)Ga(0.47)AS)(2)-short-period-lattice matrixes on InP (001) were fabricated with molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). These QWR lines are along [110], x4 direction in the 2x4 reconstructed (001) surface as revealed with high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). Alignment of quantum wires in a multilayer structure depends on the composition of spacer layers.

Effect of rapid thermal annealing on electron emission and DX centers in strained InGaAs/GaAs single quantum well laser diodes

nThermal processing of strained ln(0.2)Ga(0.8)As/GaAs graded-index separate confinement heterostructure single quantum well laser diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy is investigated. It was found that rapid thermal annealing can improve the 77 K photoluminescence efficiency and electron emission from the active layer, due to removal of nonradiative centers from the InGaAs/GaAs interface. Because of the interdiffusion of Al and Ga atoms, rapid thermal annealing increases simultaneously the density of DX centers in the AlGaAs graded layer. The current stressing experiments of post-growth and annealed laser diodes are indicative of a corresponding increase in the concentration of DX centers, suggesting that DX centers may be responsible for the degradation of laser diode performance.

Current-induced migration of surface adatoms during GaN growth by molecular beam epitaxy

The influence of electric fields on surface migration of Gallium (Ga) and Nitrogen (N) adatoms is studied during GaN growth by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). When a direct current (DC) is used to heat the sample, long distance migration of Ga adatoms and diffusion asymmetry of N adatoms at steps are observed. On the other hand, if an alternating current (AC) is used, no such preferential adatom migration is found. This effect is attributed to the effective positive charges of surface adatoms. representing an effect of electro-migration. The implications of such current-induced surface migration to GaN epitaxy are subsequently investigated. It is seen to firstly change the distribution of Ga adatoms on a growing surface, and thus make the growth to be Ga-limited at one side of the sample but N-limited at the other side. This leads to different optical qualities of the film and different morphologies of the surface. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Flip-chip bonded hybrid CMOS/SEED optoelectronic smart pixels

Hybrid integration of GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum well self electro-optic effect device (SEED) arrays are demonstrated flip-chip bonded directly onto 1 mu m silicon CMOS circuits. The GaAs/AlGaAs MQW devices are designed for 850 nm operation. Some devices are used as input light detectors and others serve as output light modulators. The measurement results under applied biases show good optoelectronic characteristics of elements in SEED arrays. Nearly the same reflection spectrum is obtained for the different devices at an array and the contrast ratio is more than 1.2:1 after flip-chip bonding and packaging. The transimpedance receiver-transmitter circuit can be operated at a frequency of 300 MHz.

LD Side-Pumped Passive Mode-Locked TEM00 Nd:YAG Laser Based on SESAM

We report an LD side-pumped continuous-wave passive mode-locked Nd:YAG laser with a Z-type folded cavity based on a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM). The average output power 2.95 W of mode-locked laser with electro-optical conversion efficiency of 1.3% and high beam quality (M-x(2) = 1.25 and M-y(2) = 1.22) is achieved. The repetition rate of mode-locked pulse of 88 MHz with pulse energy of 34 nJ is obtained.

Performance comparison of low-temperature direct alcohol fuel cells with different anode catalysts

Low-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells directly fed by methanol and ethanol were investigated employing carbon supported Pt, PtSn and PtRu as anode catalysts, respectively. Employing Pt/C as anode catalyst, both direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) and direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) showed poor performances even in presence of high Pt loading on anode. It was found that the addition of Ru or Sn to the Pt dramatically enhances the electro-oxidation of both methanol and ethanol. It was also found that the single cell adopting PtRu/C as anode shows better DMFC performance, while PtSn/C catalyst shows better DEFC performance. The single fuel cell using PtSn/C as anode catalyst at 90degreesC shows similar power densities whenever fueled by methanol or ethanol. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and single fuel cell tests indicated that PtRu is more suitable for DMFC while PtSn is more suitable for DEFC. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pt-based anode catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells

In the present work, several carbon supported PtSn and PtSnRu catalysts were prepared with different atomic ratios and tested in direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFC) operated at lower temperature (T=90 degreesC). XRD and TEM results indicate that all of these catalysts consist of uniform nano-sized particles of narrow distribution and the average particle sizes are always less than 3.0 nm. As the content of Sn increases, the Pt lattice parameter becomes longer. Single direct ethanol fuel cell tests were used to evaluate the performance of carbon supported PtSn catalysts for ethanol electro-oxidation. It was found that the addition of Sn can enhance the activity towards ethanol electro-oxidation. It is also found that a single DEFC of Pt/Sn atomic ratioless than or equal to2, "Pt1Sn1/C, Pt3Sn2/C, and Pt2Sn1/C" shows better performance than those with Pt3Sn1/C and Pt4Sn1/C. But even adopting the least active PtSn catalyst, Pt4Sn1/C, the DEFC also exhibits higher performance than that with the commercial Pt1Ru1/C, which is dominatingly used in PEMFC at present as anode catalyst for both methanol electro-oxidation and CO-tolerance. At 90 degreesC, the DEFC exhibits the best performance when Pt2Sn1/C is adopted as anode catalysts. This distinct difference in DEFC performance between the catalysts examined here is attributed to the so-called bifunctional mechanism and to the electronic interaction between Pt and Sn. It is thought that -OHads, Surface Pt active sites and the ohmic effect of PtSn/C catalyst determines the electro-oxidation activity of PtSn catalysts with different Pt/Sn ratios. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An improved palladium-based DMFCs cathode catalyst

A novel carbon-supported palladium-rich Pd3Pt1/C catalyst prepared by a modified polyol process showed a better cell performance than Pt/C in direct methanol fuel cells, which may be attributed to palladium's inactivity to methanol electro-oxidation while exhibiting good performance to oxygen reduction reaction.

Pt based anode catalysts for direct ethanol fuel cells

In the present work several Pt-based anode catalysts supported on carbon XC-72R were prepared with a novel method and characterized by means of XRD, TEM and XPS analysis. It was found that all these catalysts are consisted of uniform nanosized particles with sharp distribution and Pt lattice parameter decreases with the addition of Ru or Pd and increases with the addition of Sn or W. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements and single direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) tests jointly showed that the presence of Sn, Ru and W enhances the activity of Pt towards ethanol electro-oxidation in the following order: Pt1Sn1/C > Pt1Ru1/C > Pt1W1/C > Pt1Pd1/C > Pt/C. Moreover, Pt1Ru1/C further modified by W and Mo showed improved ethanol electro-oxidation activity, but its DEFC performance was found to be inferior to that measured for Pt1Sn1/C. Under this respect, several PtSn/C catalysts with different Pt/Sn atomic ratio were also identically prepared and characterized and their direct ethanol fuel cell performances were evaluated. It was found that the single direct ethanol fuel cell having Pt1Sn1/C or Pt3Sn2/C or Pt2Sn1/C as anode catalyst showed better performances than those with Pt3Sn1/C or Pt4Sn1/C. It was also found that the latter two cells exhibited higher performances than the single cell using Pt1Ru1/C, which is exclusively used in PEMFC as anode catalyst for both methanol electro-oxidation and CO-tolerance. This distinct difference in DEFC performance between the catalysts examined here would be attributed to the so-called bifunctional mechanism and to the electronic interaction between Pt and additives. It is thought that an amount of -OHads, an amount of surface Pt active sites and the conductivity effect of PtSn/C catalysts would determine the activity of PtSn/C with different Pt/Sn ratios. At lower temperature values or at low current density regions where the electro-oxidation of ethanol is considered not so fast and its chemisorption is not the rate-determining step, the Pt3Sn2/C seems to be more suitable for the direct ethanol fuel cell. At 75 degreesC, the single ethanol fuel cell with Pt3Sn2/C as anode catalyst showed a comparable performance to that with Pt2Sn1/C, but at higher temperature of 90 degreesC, the latter presented much better performance. It is thought from a practical point of view that Pt2Sn1/C, supplying sufficient -OHads and having adequate active Pt sites and acceptable ohmic effect, could be the appropriate anode catalyst for DEFC. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hole-transporting polymers containing carbazol-3,9-diyl and 1,4-phenylene fragments in the main chain

New carbazole-based polymers, which contain various content of electro-active fragments in the main chain connected via alkylene spacers, have been synthesized by Ni(0)-catalyzed Yamamoto-type aryl-aryl coupling reactions. These compounds represent amorphous materials of high thermal stability with glass-transition temperatures of 139-151 degrees C and thermal decomposition starting at temperatures above 400 degrees C. UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence emission spectra of the materials confirmed that the conjugated segments in the macromolecules are rather short.

Cathodic electrochemiluminescence in aqueous solutions at bismuth electrodes

The high hydrogen evolution overpotential of a bismuth electrode makes it a powerful electrode for cathodic electro-chemiluminescence studies in aqueous solutions.

Crystallographic and electrochemical characteristics of melt-spun Ti-Zr-Ni-Cu alloys

Ti44Zr32Ni22Cu2 and Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloys were prepared by the melt-spinning method. The phase structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and the electrochemical performances of the melt-spun alloys were investigated. The results indicated that the Ti44Zr32Ni22Cu2 alloy was composed of the icosahedral quasicrystals and amorphous phases, and the Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy comprised icosahedral quasicrystals, amorphous, and Laves phases. The maximum discharge capacity was 141 mAh/g for the Ti44Zr32Ni22Cu2 alloy and 181 mAh/g for the Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy, respectively. The Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy also showed a better high-rate dischargeabifity and cycling stability. The better electrochemical properties should be ascribed to the high content of Ni, which was beneficial to the electrochemical kinetic properties and made the alloy more resistant to oxidation, as well as to the Laves phase in the Ti41Zr29Ni28Cu2 alloy, which could work as the electro-catalyst and the micro-current collector.

Controllable synthesis of pd nanocatalysts for direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC) application: From pd hollow nanospheres to pd nanoparticles

The controllable synthesis of nanosized carbon-supported Pd catalysts through a surface replacement reaction (SRR) method is reported in this paper. Depending on the synthesis conditions the Pd can be formed on Co nanoparticles surface in hollow nanospheres or nanoparticles structures. Citrate anion acts as a stabilizer for the nanostructures, and protonation of the third carboxyl anion and hence the nanostructure and size of the resulting catalysts are controlled via the pH of the synthesis solution. Pd hollow nanospheres, containing smaller Pd nanoparticles, supported on carbon are formed under the condition of pH 9 reaction solution. Meanwhile, highly dispersed carbon-supported Pd nanoparticles can be formed with higher pH (pH >= 10). All catalysts prepared through the SRR method show enhanced activities for the HCOOH electro-oxidation reaction compared to catalysts reduced by NaBH4.

Electrospun poly(L-lactide)-grafted hydroxyapatite/poly(L-lactide) nanocomposite fibers

Composite fibers composed of poly(L-lactide)-grafted hydroxyapatite (PLA-g-HAP) nanoparticles and polylactide (PLA) matrix were prepared by electro-spinning. Environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to investigate the morphology of the composite fibers and the distribution of PLA-g-HAP nanoparticles in the fibers, respectively. At a low content (similar to 4 wt%) of PLA-g-HAP, the nanoparticles dispersed uniformly in the fibers and the composite fibrous mats exhibited higher strength properties, compared with the pristine PLA fiber mats and the simple hydroxyapatite/PLA blend fiber mats. But when the content of PLA-g-HAP further increased, the nanoparticles began to aggregate, which resulted in the deterioration of the mechanical properties of the composite fiber mats. The degradation behaviors of the composite fiber mats were closely related to the content of PLA-g-HAP. At a low PLA-g-HAP content, degradation may be delayed due to the reduction of autocatalytic degradation of PLA. When PLA-g-HAP content was high, degradation rate increased because of the enhanced wettability of the composite fibers and the escape of the nanoparticles from fiber surfaces during incubation.

Synthesis, structure and luminescence properties of zinc (II) complexes with terpyridine derivatives as ligands

Five zinc (II) complexes (1-5) with 4 '-phenyl-2,2 ':6 ',2 ''-terpyridine (ptpy) derivatives as ligands have been synthesized and fully characterized. The para-position of phenyl in ptpy is substituted by the group (R), i.e. tert-butyl (t-Bu), hexyloxy (OHex), carbazole-9-yl (Cz), naphthalen-1-yl-phenyl-amine-N-yl (NPA) and diphenyl amine-N-yl (DPA), with different electron-donating ability. With increasing donor ability of the R, the emission color of the complexes in film was modulated from violet (392 nm) to reddish orange (604 nm). The photoexcited luminescence exhibits significant solvatochromism because the emission of the complexes involves the intra-ligand charge transfer (ILCT) excited state. The electrochemical investigations show that the complexes with stronger electro-donating substituent have lower oxidation potential and then higher HOMO level. The electroluminescence (EL) properties of these zinc (II) complexes were studied with the device structure of ITO/PEDOT/Zn (II) complex: PBD:PMMA/BCP/AlQ/ LiF/Al. Complexes 3, 4 and 5 exhibit EL wavelength at 552, 600 and 609 nm with maximum current efficiency of 5.28, 2.83 and 2.00 cd/A, respectively.